It is necessary in certain ball bearing applications to support a high thrust load in combination with a radial load under the restrictions of limited bearing section height. A previously known way of addressing this situation involves using a needle roller in combination with a ball bearing. In these arrangements, the needle roller bearing is used to support the main part of the radial load and the ball bearing is used to support the thrust load. However, one drawback associated with this arrangement is that it can be quite expensive. In addition, such an arrangement can force the designer to limit the thrust load and/or increase the section height of the bearing in order to increase the load carrying capacity of the ball bearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,251,555 discloses a frictionless roller bearing that includes a structure embodying a roller bearing having an elongated substantially cylindrical body in which are formed a plurality of axially spaced and circumferentially extending V-shaped grooves. The periphery of the body between the grooves possesses a contour curving circumferentially and axially of the body, and with the body at its opposite ends terminating at the base of a groove. A retaining ring engages, adjacent the inner edge of one of its faces, an end face of the rollers adjacent the perimeter thereof. Unfortunately, this roller bearing is not intended to support axial loads. Indeed, constructing the roller bearing to support axial loads is not an objective sought to be achieved by the disclosed bearing. Rather, the primary focus of the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 2,251,555 is to decrease the area of frictional contact, thereby resulting in decreased friction.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,888 discloses an antifriction bearing that includes a journal having its bearing area provided throughout the length thereof with circumferential corrugations, and an opposing box having its bearing surface similarly provided throughout its length with corrugations matching those of the journal. A series of rollers are located in spaced relation between the two bearing surfaces provided over their bearing lengths with circumferential corrugations similar to those on the bearing surfaces of the journal and box, and interfitting in load carrying relation therewith. The circumferential corrugations on the rollers and on the journal and the box have their side surfaces of convex contour and provide a restricted area of contact between opposing corrugations at points intermediate the tops and bases of the corrugations. As a mechanism for maintaining the rollers in spaced relation, a gear is provided on each end of the rollers and gears are provided on the journal and box, respectively, at each end thereof with which the gears on the rollers engage. As in the case of the bearing described above, the bearing described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,888 is not intended or designed to support axial loads. The primary object of the bearing construction described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,888 is to provide a bearing in which frictional resistance is reduced.